One of our favorite quests was blowing bubbles off the Golden Gate Bridge. There is a whole series of photos of me cracking up as we walk across it but this is my favorite. Photo: Nathaniel Chaney / Element.ly
On the first night we tackled as many of the food challenges as possible. Here, Nathaniel waits for our mushroom and garlic papusa (street food) before we headed off to find a peruvian restaurant. I would also later consume a half cup of crickets all in the name of competition. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
We visited at least four beaches during the entirety of Questival. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
On the second day of the Questival I was up at 4:30 AM crafting a llama shaped cake and my spirits sank as I realized California had decided to rain on us. However, the morning drizzle dissipated soon after sun rose. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
One of the quests of Questival was to take a photo with the population sign of a town that has less than 1,000 residents. Moss Beach was actually the second town we found to do this, the first was unincorporated and lacked the proper signage. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
By the time we hit the San Francisco beaches on day two of Questival the sky had turned sunny and glorious. Appreciating nature for a quiet 5 minutes was one of the tasks and the pacific ocean made it easy. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Stanford student Mary O'Grady blows bubbles on the Golden Gate Bridge as one of her teammates tries to pop the bubbles. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Team Alpaca Towel was one of the groups we ran into on the Golden Gate Bridge representing in their super hero t-shirts. Quite a few teams dressed in matching outfits or had t-shirts especially made for the event. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
During the day we continuously ran into other Questival competitors and I eventually began referring to them as fellow llamas on social media. If you are wondering why there are so many llama references- a llama is the Cotopaxi logo. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Hannah Lerch of team Alpaca Towel sported a Cotopaxi temporary tattoo on her cheek for the event. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Another quest: slack lining. As soon as I saw someone dressed as a llama slack lining in Dolores Park I ran up to them and started taking photos. Zach Karcher was one of the more outdoorsy questival participants choosing to camp, boulder and slack line as some of his activities. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Nathaniel took one for team Element.ly by completing the 'eat a lemon rind and all' challenge. "It's like I'm making lemonade in my mouth, without sugar." Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
The 'turtle hill' steps just off Moraga street in the sunset were a local feature that I was glad Questival included on the list of activities. They are quite beautiful but not many people know where they are. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Cotopaxi made sure to have a posse of live llamas at the after party. They were incredibly laid back and dignified in the chaos. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
The Questival after party underwent a last minute venue change as a result of the San Francisco Giants playing some kind of series but Crissy Field ended up being a very pleasant location for snacks and live music. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Markus Stoffel and Eric Aird take a photo with Mick Jagger the llama during the Cotopaxi Questival after party. Photo: Alex Washburn / Element.ly
Last weekend my boyfriend and I took on the Bay Area stop of the Questival, a 24-hour race held in various cities around the country where participants attempted to complete a long list of activities, including eating bugs and taking selfies with obliging celebrities.
It’s a branded event put on by Cotopaxi, an outdoor clothing and backpack company, and you’re supposed to promote the race through your social media channels. That might irk some people, but it was fine by me because Cotopaxi supports non-profits across the world and the grand prize for the winners was a humanitarian trip to South America. If Questival comes back to San Francisco next year I’ll be there, and I’ll make sure my friends with the largest social media followings are on my team.
Team Element.ly, or me and my boyfriend Nathaniel, got off to a slow start because we have day jobs. We could only watch as teams full of college kids with tons of free time shot to the front of the pack. Soon enough though, we decided to set our own points goals for the day and started plugging through the events we could accomplish.
In 24 hours we completed 64 tasks for 267 points, taking 101st place out of 201 teams. For us, mostly because Nathaniel and I lack camping equipment, it made sense to tackle as many San Francisco centric tasks as possible. Several of the tasks on the list we had experienced before, but others I had either never made time for (Twin Peaks) or never even knew existed (Seward Street Slides). By the end I had a totally new perspective on San Francisco.
The Bay Area was the Questival’s second stop but it will be heading to more than a dozen other American cities in 2015. Track em down. You won’t be disappointed.
